Salvation
by Yumeshojo
Summary: Falling in love with a man from the past was bad enough; falling in love with the man trying to kill the young woman Sayori's possessed is worse. Is there any way for her love to be accepted, returned? Can she even save this would-be murderer from certain death? SayorixHarumoto, oneshot.


**Disclaimer: Ní féidir liom féin, ná is féidir liom airgead a dhéanamh de thalamh, an scéal seo ná leis an maoin intleachtúil tá sé bunaithe ar thalamh de. Irish! (I'm sure, if you're reading any of my other stories, you already know I'm having WAY too much fun with Google translate...)**

**After learning the bad guys were winnable on Yo-Jin-Bo, I was dying with excitement. After learning this was only possible on the Japanese PS2 version, I was dying with anger. Solution? Fanfiction, of course! I may never know the cannon story between Sayori and Harumoto, but I have made my own, mwahahahahaha! Because I have a thing for bad guys :) So, here's a 'Tower Rooftop' scene for Harumoto (because every guy in the game gets one of these...).  
**

* * *

The water swirled around me, cooling down, but still I didn't rise out of the tub. I knew I'd been in longer than I needed, and that Yahei and the others were waiting for me, but...I had been using my time in the bath to think, and even now, I wasn't sure just what I was thinking about, or what good it would do to even be thinking of it.

It was finished, Hatsuhime was home, and she was safe. What more was there for me to do? I'd done as she'd asked me; I'd saved her life. So then, didn't that mean it was time for me to go home? For me to finally be 'Sayori' again, to go to school and do girly things and not worry about running for my life and fuedal politics and all this drama?

Those thoughts should have been comforting. Going home, seeing my parents again, spending time with my friends, resting and relaxing and going on with my life just like before...

...but that was the problem, wasn't it? Things weren't like before. Now...now, I'd fallen in love.

I slipped farther into the tub, letting the water soothe me. I didn't know what else to do but sigh. Because my love was doomed, and I knew that. I'd known that from the first time I'd had the slightest inkling of my feelings tickle the surface of my heart, and I'd tried to squash them, I really had. But love just wasn't something you could fight, I guess.

Even when the man you loved was trying to kill you.

_When had it started?_ I wondered. I didn't know. I didn't know how any of this had happened. I'd come back to this world not when I'd expected, though I probably should have: I was on horseback, riding towards Harumoto's castle to pig out on sweets, just like Hatsuhime had agreed. She hadn't known this man was after her life, she'd suspected nothing and acted selfishly and stupidly. And I was supposed to protect her? She had me walking into a trap, and I didn't know how to get out of it! ...and also, I didn't know how to ride a horse.

Hatsuhime had, of course. But me, from the future, where people rode in cars or on bikes? Nope. The tall, four-legged animal scared me half to death, as it was a far more immediate threat than Harumoto's assassins.

They say animals can sense your fear. I'm sure that's why my horse decided to bolt even though it had never given the princess a hard day in her pampered life.

Muneshige had saved me, of course. He'd come racing up beside me, slowed down my horse and stopped the beast with ease. Didn't make me any less terrified of the thing. I was adament about walking the rest of the way.

Munshige walked between the horses, pulling them both along by the reigns. I had walked beside Harumoto, slightly behind Hatsuhime's bodyguard. And now that the horses weren't scaring me half to death, the close proximity to the man who wanted me dead was.

But Harumoto's company had been surprisingly...pleasant. I knew that it must have been an act, of course, becuase I had already seen it for myself – this man's plans and the fate in store for the princess I was currently inhabiting. But he feigned concern and kept me company, carrying on a conversation that had me answering rather easily, and by the time we got to the castle, I had forgetton this man had wanted me dead.

We had dinner, and I think I surprised both Harumoto and Muneshige with my behavior. Try as I might, I wasn't Hatsuhime, and I couldn't act like her. I ate little (though, with Hatsuhime's body and thus her taste buds, I did enjoy the sweets I ate very much, and expressed my gratitude to Harumoto for them) and ending up spending most of my time sticking as close to Muneshige as possible. The dinner was nice, it really was, but still...I knew what was coming and I didn't want to be alone with Harumoto (something that makes me laugh a little when I think about it now).

But the whole reason Muneshige got suckered into this dinner was because of the lure of hot springs, so I eventually had to cut the ambilical cord. I was scared to death as I watched him walk off with that big smile on his face. Even though Hatsuhime hadn't been killed while he had been out in my dream, I was still painfully sure this would be the end of me.

Again, I was surprised. Harumoto and I ended up deep in discussion on - what else? - Politics. I knew so very little about the Mochizuki clan's situation, but Harumoto seemed full of information, and more than willing to dispense his opinion. After a while, I was even able to form my own, and carry on a discussion.

I think I impressed him a bit. His opinion of me had started to change, but his plan to kill me was still underway. A small glimmer of hope was not enough to reassure him of my – that is, Hatsuhime's – ability to lead the clan in the future. Which, on reflection, was probably a good thing on his part, as Hatsuhime and my own opinions differed, and I was not the one who would be leading the clan. I would be returning to the future.

Muneshige returned eventually, and the topic veered off to safer areas. I learned a lot about Harumoto, to satisfy my own curiousity. I was intrigued by him, drawn to his zeal for his people despite knowing the road it would lead him down – a dark one that would be my own death. He was so devoted, had such high hopes and dreams for the Mochizuki's future... I felt...guilty, for being Hatsuhime, for being the one who was crushing those dreams.

He spoke of his upbringing, his family, and especially his brother. I was encouraging. I could have listened to him talk all night, he seemed to light up when he sang his brother's praises. Nobumasa didn't have Harumoto's brains, but that hadn't come between the siblings. It might have even made their bond stronger, they were so devoted to eachother, determined to use their own talents to ensure the future of the other. It was touching.

Muneshige had faded into the background by then, leaned back against a wall in the corner while Harumoto and I continued to speak by candle light, until I fell asleep.

I had hoped then, really hoped, that I'd made a difference to Harumoto, and I wouldn't have to fight him for my life. But those hopes were dashed when I was shaken awake in the middle of the night by Muneshige, just like in my dream.

I wondered how I had managed to fall in love with a man I knew capable of murder – of killing a young girl in cold blood with a smile on his face after she'd begged for her life – after only one day together. What had been so special about that short time we'd spent together that it had made such an impression upon my heart?

The chase began after that.

And, thankfully, it ended quickly and with no casualties on our side. My six bodyguards, true to their agreements, protected me wonderfully (though a bit oddly – they were such a strange bunch) and brought me back to Hatsuhime's castle home. They didn't catch Harumoto, and Nobumasa...

I think, if I hadn't begged for his life to be spared, he would have been killed. He almost killed me in the process, but it worked out as best I think it could have, under the circumstances. Yahei wasn't very happy about it, to put it lightly, but I think he was surprised at my mercy and vehemence, and had Nobumasa imprisoned but not harmed any more than he'd already been. His fight to kill me had not left him uninjured.

Through it all, I hadn't been able to stop thinking about the time I'd spent with Harumoto. He was right, to an extent. Exreme, definitely, but he wasn't wrong, not about Hatsuhime's selfishness. I'd heard enough from Muneshige and Yahei, as well as seen enough myself in my dream, to know that the girl I was trying to save rarely thought of others. She didn't do it on purpose or with any malice, but Hatsuhime was Hatsuhime, and she had been raised a spoiled princess, so that was exactly how she acted. I didn't blame her, not when I had experienced her life. With what was expected of her, she deserved to be a little selfish.

All around, it wasn't about good or bad or wrong or right. It was a bad situation, and no one could really win.

I pitied Hatsuhime. I pitied Harumoto.

And now, even more than that, I...

Sighing, I rose out of the water. Drying off, I took my time, wondering. It was all supposedly over now, so I should be sent home. And, I finally admitted to myself, I didn't want to go.

What would happen to Harumoto if they found him? If I left and Hatsuhime became in charge again, she wouldn't fight for Nobumasa's life like I had, and most certainly not for Harumoto's. And what if they never found Harumoto at all? Would they continue to hunt him? Would he be on the run, hiding forever? Never seeing his brother again?

What kind of life was that? And what kind of life was prison? Harumoto and Nobumasa only wanted what was best for the clan. Their talents could be put to great use to redeem them. After all, Hatsuhime wasn't dead. They hadn't suceeded. They shouldn't have to die.

Feeling tears prickling my eyes, I pressed my palms to my lids, trying to hold them back.

His name fell from my lips, I couldn't stop myself. "Harumoto..."

When I'd gathered myself, I finished pulling on my kimono. It was rather difficult, and suceeded in distracting me temporarily. But my mood was still down when I opened the door to leave.

Harumoto was there, standing before me.

I was instantly drowning in fear. It washed over me so quickly I was speaking before I'd even thought about my actions.

"What are you doing here? You could get caught! You have to go, now!"

Obviously, that hadn't been what he was expecting. I was right in front of him, practically shoving him back, my face anxious as I glanced around the hall to make sure no one had seen or heard.

"They've got Nobumasa locked up, there's no way you could save him alone." I continued in my hurried whisper, my eyes pleading with him. "I'll appeal to the Lord myself if I have to, I swear no harm will come to him. But please, it's going to be hard enough for just him, you can't get caught, too! Go!"

He looked extremely shocked at my behavior, and I don't blame him. What kind of psycho tries to save the man who wants her dead? But I couldn't help it. I was so scared for him, worried about what would happen if he got caught. Even if I had to go back to the future, I would do everything I could while I was still here to protect this man.

After his initial shock, Harumoto seemed to regain his senses. His confused face smoothed out into a mask, and I felt my breath suddenly leave me with agonizing force.

He'd hit me. I was blacking out. My body went limp into his arms as I gasped his name one last time. "...Haru...moto...run..."

* * *

When I woke up, it took a moment to realize where I was. I was staring strait down at tiles – I soon recognized them as roof tiles. Looking up, I found sky all around me.

The watchtower. I was on the roof of the watchtower.

And, stupid of stupids, I was extremely aware of Harumoto's body, which was pressed against my back. His arm was wrapped tightly around my throat, making it hard to breathe.

Of course. This wasn't over. Harumoto didn't sneak into my castle to see me or even rescue his brother. This was the end. There was no way that we could be missed on top of this tower, and there was no way for him to escape.

'_He's going to kill me_' should have been my thought. Instead, it was '_we are going to die together._'And it was both painful and comforting.

I heald my head high, more to lean into against his chest than to show any sort of dignity. I faced the sunset, tried to ignore the heat in my face from his close proximity, and spoke softly. "It's beautiful."

"A fitting end."

He didn't sound angry or scared. I admired that. I was honestly terrified. But my fear hardly mattered in the face of my feelings for this man.

"Yes."

"You're not going to fight?"

"No."

"Finally, you show some dignity."

_Hardly, _I thought. But at least he might think a little more of me this way, before...

"What about Nobumasa?"

He was silent. He obviously knew, of course. He would have thought this through, painfully so. There was no way to save Nobumasa now, but this way, Harumoto could save the Mochizuki clan. With Hatsuhime gone, Matsuchiyo would become the heir, just like Harumoto had wanted.

I felt my throat tighten, and I couldn't say anymore. Harumoto was going to sacrifice himself and his precious brother to ensure the future of his clan. I admired him, and yet, was so very, very sad.

I finally found my voice as the sun sank in the west. "If you finish this before anyone comes, you might be able to save him and escape."

"I'm no fighter, princess. I could not face down all your guards. This is all I can do. I'll try to make it quick."

Harumoto's grip loosened, and he turned me around to face him. His face was as passive as before, hiding his emotions. He raised his hands and placed them on my throat. Then he began to close them.

He lifted me into the air.

I didn't try to struggle against him. Even with his hands tightening around my throat, I could only stare into his eyes. It was hard, of course, to even open them, let alone look down; but something inside me compelled it. Something in me screamed that I had to see him. I wanted his face to be the last thing I saw before I died.

"...Ah...ack...I..." It was so hard - so hard to speak. To force out the words. But I needed to say it. I need for him to know. "I'm...s-sorry...I...ah...I wasn't..."

"...?" Ever so slightly, his fingers loosened. Only a little - only enough for my dying words to be heard. He was just merciful like that.

"I'm s-sorry I wasn't...a princess that...w-was...ah!...was worthy to l-lead the Mochiz-zuki clan..."

His eyes widened as he took in my next words, his fingers trembling as though he wasn't sure if he should cut me off or let me say what I had to say. Letting me go wasn't an option, I knew, but I also knew he was an honorable enough man to hear me out.

It struck me that it was probably odd to think the man who was killing me was honorable. But he was. This wasn't about him being a bad person – it was about Hatsuhime, and thus me, being a bad princess. It was my falt. I deserved this. But I felt horrible that this man had to be the one to do what needed to be done. To kill me.

"I'm so-sorry you had to s-soil your hands and good name...because of my i-incom-mpetance. I wish...I wish I could have led our clan...to the greatness you wished it, Harumoto. I pray...you accomplish what I c-couldn't."

He looked...petrified by my words. Like I'd suddenly stuck a knife in his heart. His eyes were wide, and I would have given anything in that moment to be able to hold him. He was like a child, hurt and scared, and I wanted to tell him he was doing the right thing. Not to pity me and the fate I had to face, but to stay strong. I was willing to do this. For the selfishness of a girl who hadn't wanted to die, I would face her punishment with the dignity she'd never shown.

More than anything, I wanted him to know that. Not that I wasn't the princess he thought I was, but that I held no ill will to him for this. I wanted him to know that my words weren't meant to make him doubt himself, but to strengthen him. Instead, as the tears slid down, I only smiled as best I could, and closed my eyes in resignation.

I waited for death to take me, hoping he would make it quick. He'd promised before that he would. He didn't want to make me suffer. He just needed me – needed Hatsuhime, the weak, selfish princess – out of the way so that the Mochizuki wouldn't fall under the rule of a childish brat. The clan needed more strength in a leader than that.

And he was right. Even in death, Hatsuhime had been childish and selfish. Her ghost had haunted her jade pendant for who knew how many centuries, waiting till she could do exactly what she had. She'd kidnapped my soul, thrown me back in time, forced me into her body, and set me on a mission to save her life.

_I'm sorry, Hatsuhime. But your life is of little consequence when put against the good of your entire family. I hope you understand._

_...and also, I could never hurt him to save you. Not even to save myself._

Suddenly, I hit the roof tiles.

Automatically, my lungs started to gasp for breath, hauling air into my body at an alarming rate. It burned horribly, and I was coughing oxygen up faster than I was taking it in. But, at the same time, it felt so good. I was breathing again!

My hand flew to my throat where most of the pain was, and I massaged at it out of instinct. Confused, I looked up at him, my vision blurring in and out like the static on an old television before it settled back to normal. And I found his same pained expression staring down at me.

"...why? Why would you say something like that?" The pain didn't go anywhere, though he tried to hide it with lashing anger. "WHY?!"

Now I was even more confused, and I'm sure my face showed it. "Because if I hadn't *cough* been born, you wouldn't be a criminal. You want what's best *cough* for the Mochizuki. If I'm in the way of that *cough* ideal then I should be eliminated." It seemed easy for me to understand, despite it being so hard to actually get the words out. My lungs burned with the new air that flowed in, and my throat still stung. "Isn't that what you've been saying all along?"

"You would...die for the Mochizuki?"

I shook my head. "No."

His confusion began to lace with anger again. "Then WHY?!"

I tried to make myself small, shame flooding me. Because, despite all the things I'd been thinking before, the Mochizuki weren't why I was willing to let myself die. I was scared out of my mind, and I would have fought, kicking and screaming, just like Hatsuhime, to stay alive – if it had been anyone else. But that was the whole point. It wasn't someone else.

It was Ohno Harumoto. "I wouldn't die for the Mochizuki - but I would die for you."

"...wha-!?" He stared at me, almost in horror. Like my words had burned him. He watched me from up high, staring down, and I felt more than ever like he was something beyond me that I should never have tried to touch, never tried to defy. He was a bringer of justice to his people, throwing away his own and his most precious little brother's lives for the sake of the clan and it's future. With unwavering resolve, he had thrown away his wealth and power to accomplish this goal.

And then, right before me, Harumoto crumpled to his knees. I caught sheer chaos in his eyes before he bowed his head strait down so I couldn't see his face through his hair.

_Where had that horrible look come from? _"...Haru-?"

"...why?" His voice was a quivering whisper. "...why for me?"

I reached out my shaky arm, coughing as I stretched my sore neck out, getting on my hands and knees, and placed my palm on his head. He flinched under my touch, but didn't move away. That alone touched something inside me, and before I could stop myself I whispered something I never should have said aloud if I had really wanted to make him strong again. "_Because I love you_."

His whole body stiffened. It was like his whole being instantly went on guard to protect himself from me, from the threat I was. And I knew it was true. I shouldn't have been confessing to him, not after all we'd been through and knowing he had to kill me in the end.

But I couldn't resist. I ran my hand down the side of his head and cupped his face, pulling it up. Hair still covered his eyes, but I now looked strait into them and saw how they were torn and confused – and _beautiful_. My voice and body were both firm and gentle when I repeated my confession. "I would die for you. Because I love you."

My face softened a bit as the irony of my decision finally hit home. "It's just as you've said all along, Harumoto. I'm such a disgraceful princess that I would refuse to lay my life down for my clan; but I would die for such a selfish reason as love."

I let my hand drop to my lap as my body trembled, and his head immediately dipped down so that he no longer had to face me. I spoke again. "I am not fit to lead the Mochizuki clan."

"Maybe...that's true." Even though I had admitted it myself, and he had said it many times before, it still hurt to hear those words. "To fall in love with the man who's trying to kill you - to confess to him as he chokes the life out of you...There has to be something wrong with a woman like that..."

I swallowed hard, almost choking myself. He was right. He was always right. And I hated myself all the more for it.

"Everything that I have done...EVERYTHING I HAVE DONE has been for the good of the Mochizuki clan! ...so _why_?" This time, I realized his words were not directed at me. It seemed more like he was pleading with himself as he whispered. "So why do your words _hurt_ me so much?"

I couldn't reply to what he was saying, only listen on.

"You must be some kind of sorceress." His words were biting as he glared up at me - but something about the expression was too sad to hurt me. Like a desperate man grasping at the end of his rope, hoping beyond hope for anything to save him. "Your words have bewitched me...they make me want...to _protect_ you. " He spat the word, and yet I didn't feel insulted. Instead, my heart began to race. "They make me think that you would make a great princess for our clan. They make me wonder if I've been wrong all along...and..."

Finally, he let his angry façade drop completely and stared at me with forlorn eyes. "...they make me _love_ you."

My breath caught in my throat, and it had nothing to do with the pain that still resided there. It didn't matter that, only moments before, he'd had his hands around my neck, squeezing the life out of me. It didn't matter that he and his ninja had been hunting me for days to end my life. It didn't even matter that I'd been thrust into this doomed body, forcibly stripped from a life I loved and thrown into a dangerous past with no knowledge of where I was or what I had to do.

All that mattered was this man before me.

"_Harumoto!_" Tears spilling down my cheeks, I threw my arms around him, pulling him to me with an almost desperate strength. I dug my fingers into his clothing without thinking, only wanting him closer, as if holding him could somehow make everything else vanish so that the two of us was all there was.

But that wasn't possible, and by now the castle could be heard in a frenzy. They'd discovered their princess gone. Had someone spotted us on the watchtower already? I couldn't let them catch him! I couldn't let them kill him!

I wondered, for a moment, if he would run away with me.

But I knew he wouldn't. Harumoto had tried to take my life for this clan, and had failed. He had no where to run. Everything he loved was with the Mochizuki.

"...you are...a merciful woman, princess." Harumoto's words were soft and low, distracting me from my planning. "You will lead this clan to greatness."

"I won't." It was so hard to say that, when what he'd said was so good to hear. He _approved _of me. But that was just it. He approved of _me_. But I- "I'm not Hatsuhime."

Slipping from my arms slightly, he looked up at me, confused – and a little scared.

Maybe he was worried I was a double or something, and he'd almost killed the wrong one.

I felt stupid, scared even more than when he was about to take my life, as I told him the truth. I was worried he wouldn't believe me, that he'd lash out in anger again, pull away. But he didn't.

It was probably the drastic difference he'd seen between me and the real Hatsuhime that made him believe, that helped him put all the pieces together. He accepted my explanation with a simple "I see." I was eerily quiet through it all.

"I don't know when I'll be sent home again." I admitted, that great fear of loosing him seizing me again. At what moment would I be ripped from this body as I had the last? When would I share my last seconds with the man I loved? "I can't guarantee Hatsuhime will lead the Mochizuki right when I'm gone. I would try if I could stay, but..."

I couldn't even run away with him if he had, on some slim chance, agreed to go. When I was gone, Hatsuhime would be able to find her way back to the castle easily. And a fight over whether Matsuchiyo's ascension in her absence was legal or not would tear the Mochizuki apart.

It seemed impossible. Like every door was closed in our faces. I didn't know what to do. Was there really no way for this to end happily for us?

No. Not happily, it couldn't. But I could do the next best thing.

"Hatsuhime!"

The guards had finally made it to the top of the tower. Muneshige was closest, his short swords drawn and face fierce.

I remembered my dream, for a moment. Before I'd come here, become Hatsuhime, I'd watched her last moments. And I'd known her greatest secret. For all her faults, she hadn't been a bad person. She'd been so selfish because she'd known all along she could never have what she really wanted. Not ever.

I finally understood her pain.

"Harumoto, you dog! Unhand the princess!"

Behind Muneshige, the others were poised and ready. Yo called out to me. "Oneechan, are you alright?"

Steeling myself, I set my plan into motion. "Of course I'm fine. Put down your swords!"

For a moment, everyone looked slightly confused. "Don't worry, princess, we're gonna save you." Mon-Mon spoke reassuringly.

I glared at him. "Save me from what? This is all a big missunderstanding, alright? Back off. I'm fine and I'm not in any danger, see?"

I stood up and did a little twirl with my hands stretched out so that they could all give me the once over. No wounds, and Harumoto was not holding me hostage with a hidden blade – he didn't even have a hold of me!

"Happy now?" I barked, putting my hands on my hips.

Now everyone was definitely confused. "You're okay? You're not being threatened or held hostage?"

"No!" I was careful to keep my hair around my neck to obscure what I'm sure were finger shaped bruises forming. "I told you, _big _missunderstanding. Ninja guy chasing us? He went rogue. Wasn't working for Harumoto, but obviously with everyone thinking he was out to get me, he just couldn't waltz up to the palace and explain himself. So we agreed to meet in secret."

"Agreed to...?" Muneshige looked dumbfounded.

Bo apparently took up the tangent my bodyguard couldn't quite finish. "How did you manage to arrange this meeting?"

My blush wasn't faked – lying about something like this was just as embarrassing as if it were true. "The...usual way we arrange our..._meetings_."

They were staring at me. With very big eyes. I flushed, but forced myself to continue with my lies. "We're lovers, alright? We've had a lot of practice with secret rondevues."

There was a moment of silence and more staring (a lot more staring) before a voice came from behind me. Harumoto had stood up. He was smiling. "Blunt, aren't you?"

I inwardly let out the proverbial breath I'd been holding. He was going along with my story. He was going to let me protect him. I would be able to save the man I loved.


End file.
